Was Paul Pierce Broom Post a Twitter Hack Job?

Photo from TwitterPaul Pierce is a big reason the Boston Celtics are up 2-0 over the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Finals.

So why is anyone surprised the words "Anybody got a broom?" showed up on the shooting guard's verified Twitter account?

There's a small matter of the time stamp. Oh yeah, and Pierce's camp -- which claims it was all a hack job.

The words appeared on PaulPierce34 on Tuesday night, shortly after the Celtics improved their playoffs record to 32-0.

Sports reporters were salivating at the chance to play up the drama between the Celtics and the Magic, taking the tweet immediately to Magic star Dwight Howard to stir up the rivalry.

With the Celtics only up two games in a seven-game series, Howard's response was slow but succinct: "Pride," he told reporters, "comes before a fall."

But as ProBasketballTalk points out, the tweet in question was the only one to ever show up on Pierce's account via a Twitter service named Twitterific -- all of his other tweets have been post via text or the web.

A look at Pierce's page shows he's suggested watching shows like 9 By Design or talked about games, but never via Twitterific.

Then there's the question of the time stamp. The tweet supposedly showed up on the web at a time when Pierce was talking with reporters, no cell phone in hand.

Except time stamps on Twitter aren't an exact science -- they can be written and set to post later, and tweets have been known to not post or post twice.

On the other hand, Pierce's statements to the media yesterday evening weren't exactly the words of an athlete crowing at his prowess. Asked if the Celtics were able to just turn on the talent for the playoffs, Pierce told ESPN, "I know it's starting to look that way."

Not "We're an amazing team meant to win the playoffs." But a relatively humble, "it's starting to look this way."

Pierce even admitted the team played badly in its series against Cleveland.

The tweet is now gone, replaced by a simple, "Halfway home that's all here come them CELTICS."

Whether it was by Pierce's hand or a hacker, the real question is whether it will light a fire under the Magic's feet or if that broom is fanning the Celtic's red hot flame.